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Toronto Raptors set franchise record with 48 wins

Toronto Raptors' DeMar DeRozan is congratulated by fans as he leaves the court following his team's 110-100 win over Milwaukee Bucks in NBA basketball action in Toronto on Monday, April 14, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors have recorded their best regular-season record in the team’s 19-year history.

The playoff-bound Raptors topped their record for franchise wins with victory No. 48 on Monday, a 110-100 defeat of the lowly Milwaukee Bucks — their most recent milestone achieved on a night that started with the unfurling of their Atlantic Division banner.

The Raptors led from the outset, and were up by as much as 22 points in the second quarter of their final regular-season game at Air Canada Centre. They took an 84-69 advantage into the fourth against a Bucks team that is guaranteed to finish with the worst record in the NBA this season.

But the Bucks showed some fight in the fourth, pulling to within seven points on an alley-oop dunk by Adrien with 7:27 to play. That was as close as the Bucks would come as Lowry’s six points were part of a 12-5 Raptors run that put them ahead by 14 with three minutes to play.

The Raptors wrap up the regular season Wednesday at New York, and will open the playoffs at home either Saturday or Sunday.

Toronto had won 47 games twice before — in 2000-’01 and 2006-’07.

It’s been a remarkable turnaround in a season that saw the Raptors stumble out to a 6-12 start. The about-face came after the blockbuster seven-player trade in December that sent Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings for Vasquez, John Salmons and Patrick Patterson.

Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry lies on the court after being fouled by Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Knight. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)

The Raptors went into Monday tied with Chicago for the third seed in the Eastern Conference, so a Toronto victory coupled by a Bulls loss to Orlando would have clinched them that third spot. The seeding will come down to the final game now, after Chicago topped Orlando 108-95. Chicago wraps up its season Wednesday versus Charlotte.

The Raptors will play either Washington, Brooklyn or Charlotte in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Raptors opened the festive night by unfurling their second Atlantic Division banner — clinched last Friday — from the rafters of the ACC. DeRozan addressed the crowd, saying “We want to thank you guys for the support throughout the whole season, and we want you guys to help us unfurl the banner as division champs.”

“I think it’s great for the fans,” Casey said. “(But) if you have anything in your trunks, you’re probably going to get upset and come out swinging if you see the other team hanging a banner on you.”

Toronto Raptors’ Amir Johnson celebrates as he leaves the court following his team’s 110-100 win over Milwaukee Bucks. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)

Casey didn’t have to worry. The Raptors sprinted out of the gate, assembling an 11-point lead with three minutes to go in the first quarter on a three by Vasquez. They led 32-19 heading into the second.

The Raptors continued to pull away in the second, a Nando De Colo three-pointer giving the home team a 22-point lead about seven minutes before halftime. But the Bucks closed the quarter with a 15-6 run and Toronto led 59-46 at the break.

The Raptors went back up by 20 late in the third quarter on a three by Lowry, and led 84-69 with a quarter left to play.

NOTES: The Raptors will host a “Party in the Square” in Maple Leaf Square for playoff games like the Toronto Maple Leafs did for their playoff series last season against Boston. . . New Leafs president Brendan Shanahan sat courtside with Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment. . .The Raptors had lost 11 straight to the Bucks before this season. . . Milwaukee’s last road win was Feb. 24 at Philadelphia.